Current Applied Polymer Science - Volume 4, Issue 1, 2021

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune ailment where the body's defense system is violated by damaging its joints. In RA treatment strategies, attempts have been made for oral, topical, and parenteral formulations with different drugs, but none of the formulations could be regarded as the perfect dosage form. In the current review, the meticulous discussion has been made on the suitability of novel topical formulations in the treatment of RA. Moreover, the emphasis has been made on activities of biodegradable polymers such as hyaluronic acid, lecithin, pluronic acid, chitosan, human serum albumin (HSA), and polylactide glycolic acid (PLGA) as well as their role in the management of RA.

Objective: The study aimed to apprehend the role of polymeric materials in developing an ideal topical drug delivery system that can bestow targeted delivery, enhanced penetration of drugs, improved stability of the formulation, and improved PKPD profile of the drugs.

These polymers possess twofold functions, primarily by increasing skin penetration and secondarily by improving joint mobility and cartilage regeneration. Furthermore, biocompatibility and biodegradability are features that increase the use of the aforementioned polymers.

Results: The significant role of all the polymers in improving the conditions of bones and joints suffering from rheumatoid arthritis has been demonstrated by various studies.

The nanoparticles as drug carriers have demonstrated enhanced targeting, and sustained/controlled drug release, as evident from numerous investigations that have shown promising outcomes facilitating the wellbeing of humans in the desired manner. The lipid-based nanoparticles are biodegradable and considered biocompatible by virtue of being composed of lipid moieties mimicking physiological lipids of biological systems which is their prime advantage over the other polymeric systems. A variety of such lipid carriers have been reported to be delivered from the parenteral route. However, there are certain pitfalls which are associated with lipid nanoparticles such as toxicity, poor scale up potential, immunological reactions and absence of straight forward regulatory guidelines that address the issues of lipoidal nanocarriers such as their classification, approval and compliance of governmental policies. Therefore attention must be given to address the technological and regulatory challenges associated with lipoidal nano-formulations for parenteral administration to smoothen the approval process throughout the world and bringing the same to the terminal users on time.

Background: The processes of destruction and crosslinking of macromolecules occur simultaneously under the influence of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in synthetic polymers, dry DNA and their concentrated solutions.

Objective: The effect of UV radiation on calf thymus DNA in dilute solutions subjected to UV- irradiation was studied in this work.

Method:The calf thymus DNA was studied in dilute solutions using viscometry, absorption spectroscopy and electrophoresis.

Results:It was shown that at a low concentration of DNA in the buffer solution ([DNA] = 85 μg / ml) under the influence of UV radiation, the processes of destruction of macromolecules and an increase in their flexibility predominate, which are accompanied by a gradual decrease in the viscosity of their solution. In addition, due to the low concentration of the solution, intramolecular crosslinking of macromolecules predominates, which also reduces their size and, consequently, the viscosity of the solution.

Conclusion:It was concluded that in dilute DNA solutions, due to the predominance of the processes of intramolecular crosslinking of macromolecules over intermolecular, only constant processes of decreasing the sizes of DNA macromolecules occur. As a result, their solubility remains virtually unchanged during UV irradiation. The described explanations are also confirmed by the results of absorption spectroscopy and electrophoresis.

Background: Chitosan nanoparticles have been extensively studied and used due to their well-recognized applicability in various fields. Chitosan, a natural polysaccharide polymer, is extensively used in pharmaceuticals to deliver a wide variety of therapeutic agents. Chitosan is a biocompatible and biodegradable mucoadhesive polymer that has been extensively used in the preparation of multi particles, particularly nano- and microparticles.

objective: The main aim of the present study was to optimize the conditions for the preparation of chitosan nanoparticles to get optimal particle size, with optimal zeta potential and narrow polydispersity index and anti-bacterial activity.

Methods: Include the ionic gelation technique for chitosan nanoparticle preparation. The influence of formulation parameters and process parameters on the chitosan nanoparticles were investigated. Besides, the suspension stability of the prepared nanoparticles was also assessed on storage at 4°C.

Results: The formulation and process parameters showed a significant effect on the physicochemical and morphological characteristics of the chitosan nanoparticles. The chitosan nanoparticles prepared under optimum conditions (chitosan concentration of 0.5% w/v, CS: TPP mass ratio of 1:3, initial pH of chitosan solution of 4.5, stirred at 750 rpm for 30 min) had shown a mean particle size of ~326.8±15 nm, zeta potential of +28.2 ± 0.5 mV, and PDI of 0.21 ± 0.02. The encapsulation of the clarithromycin slightly increased the polydispersity index, but the zeta potential of the unloaded nanoparticles was not affected while the particle size increased. Under optimum conditions, clarithromycin encapsulation efficiency into nanoparticles was found to be 70%. Additionally, chitosan-tripolyphosphate nanoparticles were shown to be stable for a minimum of fifteen days in deionized water at 4°C.

Conclusion: The current study concludes the optimal conditions to formulate the chitosan

Background: The use of polymers in hair care products is widespread, and silicones in particular, are extensively used in cosmetic formulations. In addition, plant oils can also be used for hair treatment.

Objective: In the present work, oil-in-water (O/W) nanoemulsions were prepared to repair chemical damage to human hair samples, to investigate the combined use of a silicone polyether copolymer (surfactant) that has a branch composed of poly(ethylene oxide) in its chains, and two types of plant oils: coconut and ojon oil.

Materials and Methods: Surfactant-oil-water formulations were obtained by ultrasonic processing. The nanoemulsions were then applied to human hair strands previously damaged with sodium hydroxide, to compare the treated strands with untreated ones. The efficacy of the formulations was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and mechanical tests.

Results and Discussion: Stables nanoemulsions were obtained with average size of the dispersed droplets up to 400 nm. The micrographs suggest that the action mechanism of the nanoemulsions depends not only on the type of plant oil used and on size of the droplets dispersed in the system, but also on the type of hair that receives the treatment. The thermal analysis showed that the use of nanoemulsion changed the temperature of keratin interconversion to higher values, which can make hair fibers more resistant to heat. Hair resistance was improved when comparing virgin samples to the damaged ones.

Conclusion: The nanoemulsions were efficient in the treatment of the hair samples, which showed a significant improvement in their mechanical properties.